A letter from a viewer. Julian writes us to thank us about GopherHaul and the site. Join the discussion on this post: http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....t=6848; (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=26;t=6848;)

Here is the letter:

“Hello, well after gardening & landscaping for myself & a few paying customers over the last 30 years. I decided if I ever wanted to be my own boss, I better try now before I get much older.
As crazy as it may sound, until I found this Gopher website, I never really gave it much thought to go full time. After reading many posts & looking over the many free template's available. I thought "hey I can do this".
So far I have just 2 customers who have signed a contract with me for the following season, more shall come.

Again, thanks Gopher for all the information your site provides! Julian”

If our show or forum has helped you, please let us know and send an email or make a post about your experience!

Casey Shield's website offers the service of removing Christmas trees after the holidays for $25.00. It's a great idea to reach out to more potential lawn care customers. We make a free flyer for this that you can download and edit, Check our free flyer section. Join the discussion on this post: http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry31308 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=6&t=6655&st=0&&#entry31308)

Rob asked about what profit margin he should shoot for and if his business' profit margin was his paycheck. Join the discussion on this post here: http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry31051 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=17&t=6525&st=10&&#entry31051)

Rob asked “Just starting out we ask what should we be charging? And the only way to know how much to charge is to figure out what your costs are first.
Then determine your profit margin from there. That should be right.

Well no one ever says what kind of profit they are making per hour after expenses. Shouldn't there be a general range we should all be in?”

Tim responded “15-20 % profit depending on the job”

Now keep in mind, Profit is what is left after you pay your self and all other expense. If you are only making enough money to cover your business expenses and what is left is your paycheck then the profit is 0%. Profit is what the company made. You must be able to separate the two, you never touch profit for personal uses, profit is what makes the company grow, if you are comfortable with this then it's all good and works for you cool, but if you want to grow you must leave some money for the company. Remember you have to pay taxes on what you earned personally from the business (owner draws) and what the business earned (profit).

Rob asked “Well I don't really know how much I should be paying myself.”

Don't take more than is required to cover household expenses the first year or 2 then you can re-evaluate your business earnings and adjust how much money you pay yourself.

“big part of this discussion is about keeping your expenses low”

That is the hardest part of the whole thing, keeping your expenses low, your just starting and there is a lot of upfront cost that you will never recover, so the first year or two you may not show much of a profit but you made it through the tough times so this is a big deal to everyone just starting. If the average man/woman goes out and starts a company he/she is doing it on a shoe string budget.

With the SuperBowl coming up, we are seeing more and more lawn care business owners jump on the buzz of the end of the football season with their own football themed marketing. Matt put together a door hanger design to promote his lawn care service and he used the image on his myspace site. This ad is working and it's free. He is getting responses and jobs from this bulletin and he posted some of them on the forum! So don't just wait until spring, keep advertising and marketing your business all year long. What are you doing to promote your lawn care business and tie it in with the SuperBowl? To join the discussion on this post click here: http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....834;r=1 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=8;t=6834;r=1)

It's a new year and many new entrepreneurs are starting their business. But how do you get funding? Our friend Andy was able to utilize a site called prosper.com to raise $1,250.00 for his new lawn care business. If he can do it, you can too! See how he did it and join the discussion here: http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry32042 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=1;t=6726;st=0;r=1;&#entry32042)

Our GopherHaul business book of the month is “Operators Are Standing By!” by Michael Planit. Have you ever watched late night TV and seen a commercial for the Boogie Bass? It was the bass that would move it's mouth while it sand a song? Well Michael created that product and many many more. Learn how he invented these products and learn how he used TV to sell them. The skills you pick up in this book can be applied to your lawn care business because ultimately if you want to sell anything, from boogie basses to lawn care, you need to be a showman. Learn how Michael did it and apply it to your business.
I hope all these ideas have helped you expand and grow your business and mind. So until the next time, always remember to Dream it, Build it, Gopher it!
If you are in need of free marketing material for your lawn care business, please visit our site at http://www.gophersoftware.com. We have hundreds of free lawn care logo, flyer, door hanger and web templates you can download and use for your lawn care business. We also have free lawn care business contracts. Also download our trial version of Gopher Lawn Care Business Software. Gopher will help your lawn care business schedule and invoice more customers in less time, allowing you more time to grow or enjoy your life. If you are on myspace send us a friend request. We are located at http://www.myspace.com/teamgopher.

Also please log onto our lawn care business forum at http://www.gophersoftware.com and tell us about your business and if you have any business questions, please ask them.

Our lawn care business forum member of the month is Tim.
Tim has shared with us three new contracts including a lawn cutting contract, a full service lawn care maintenance and a snow plow contract. You can download them here
http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry30713 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=1&t=877&st=30&&#entry30713)
I added a new link on the left side of the forum for our lawn care business forum member to submit books they have read. I also added a new business book of the month to our list. The book is Guerrilla Marketing Success Secrets by Jay Levinson.
Our friend Tony submitted this great marketing idea to the forum. He prints out stickers that include your business logo and then puts them on buckets of ice melt. He suggests handing these buckets out to your current customer base to help promote your snow removal services or you could use them as a marketing tool to hand out to homeowners in your area who you would like to service with snow removal and lawn care services next spring. If you live in a warmer climate you could also offer potted plants instead of ice melt. Review the post here http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry30532 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=33;t=6541;st=0;r=1;&#entry30532)
Our lawn care forum member Tim suggested buying poinsettia plants in bulk and handing them out to your current customers along with a holiday card. You could also give these out to potential clients you would like to provide snow plow or lawn care services to. Tim said he also sells the plants at a farmer's market booth. He purchases the flowers for $2 and resells them for $5. Great idea! Read more about this post here http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry30090 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=8;t=6488;st=0;r=1;&#entry30090)
Brian from Lawn & Garden Web Vision sent us this promotional video to show off his new website http://www.lawnandgardenwv.com Check out his site. It's full of many on demand education and training videos for the lawn and garden industry.
Forum member Tim posted that now is the time to send out letters to businesses asking them to put your company on their 2008 bid list. You can download the letter here http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry29810 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=1&t=1541&st=0&&#entry29810)
Bob from Plan-it Graphics has posted a design challenge http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry29599 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=23&t=6434&st=0&&#entry29599) There will be two winners chosen. Bob said “You do not have to do anything graphic wise. You can simply submit your ideas in text. If your idea is to have a guy riding his motorcycle with the caption, "This is much better better than lawn work!" then that's all you have to do. We are not looking for the best designer, we are looking for the best/unique way to market. Hopefully we can come up with ideas that are "outside the box" of the traditional lawn/landscape marketing material. It's my job to convert your idea into print form.”
In the previous episode of GopherHaul 18, we talked about how you should stay off ladders as much as possible. One of our forum members posted a shop vac device that is a long extension pipe with a u bend at the end which allows you to suck leaves out of the gutter while safe and standing on the ground. Read this post for a product review http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....03;st=0 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=17;t=6603;st=0)
I hope all these ideas have helped you expand and grow your business and mind. So until the next time, always remember to Dream it, Build it, Gopher it!

- One of our forum members and entrepreneurs, Sarah did two things this season to really make her business stand out. First off she got out there in the public eye and put herself in her marketing material and second off she has started a toy drive to help collect toys for underprivileged children and promote her business at the same time.

Read more at this post http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry27619 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=8;t=6110;st=20;r=1;&#entry27619)

- Rodman and Justin are the winners of the lawn care business holiday cards compliments of www.CardsCheaper.com (http://www.CardsCheaper.com)

- I am now signed up with Chestin's Lawn Care Champion’s Circle. Now I don't want to give any of his secrets away because he makes his money on teaching but there was an interesting part in one of Chestin's marketing discussions I wanted to point out. Chestin was talking with one of our forum members Barry and he was telling Chestin how everytime he seems to sign up a new customer, another customer seems to leave so his net gain is zero. Do you ever find this happening as well? Well just to find the answer in this would be well worth you signing up for Chestin's program. Even if you sign up for a month to simply check it out. You will find an answer on how to deal with this and you might want to stay on for all the new information he posts.

cott from leisuretimellc found to deal with this

- Another forum member Scott from leisuretimellc advises business owners to talk to their clients. He had talked to an elderly customer and found out her mowing day is the day before her trash day so he puts out the garbage cans for her and she gives him and extra $25 tip each month to do that. This is how he keeps his customers.

- Our lawn care business forum member Keith, also made a great seasonal service tip. This tip is especially important for those in the Northern sections of the country. During rainy winter days it is important to keep gutters free of leaves. If gutters are clogged, rain will pool in the gutters. Then, at night when the temperature drops, the water will freeze and back up into the over hangs. This action will damage the overhang allowing more water to enter the woodwork. The wood will rot.

Once problems begin, repairs can be very expensive. It is important and beneficial for lawn care companies to warn their customers of this potentially damaging problem. A quick $100 gutter job can save the homeowner thousands of dollars down the road.

We also have created a free flyer for you to promote this service which you can download and edit.

- If you don't like heights, maybe consider getting this gutter cleaning robot!

- We also started our outdoor holiday decoration contest so start taking pictures. We have a bunch of prize to give away, check the forum for more info. http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry27752 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=8&t=6159&st=0&&#entry27752)

- I added a section on the lawn care business forum called Help me bid this job. Since the last episode we have helped a lawn care business owner land a $6,000 job. Read more about that job http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....;t=6004 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=35;t=6004)

- Are you looking for a great way to promote your lawn care business this winter? Here is a flyer to promote your lawn care business toy drive for the holidays. Offering to run a toy drive really positions your business as one who cares about your community. It's a great way to show your community that you care as well as gain you some valuable media attention. Make sure you let the local media know you are running a toy drive to collect toys for children in need.

- I have two sets of 50 free holiday cards compliments of www.CardsCheaper.com (http://www.CardsCheaper.com) to giveaway. Click here to take part http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry28278 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=26&t=6241&st=0&&#entry28278)

- Our friend Keith posted a great way to gain more winter lawn care business customers and get them lined up for next spring too. Read more about this marketing idea and download the free flyer we made for this advertising concept here. http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....t=6144; (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=29;t=6144;)

- We are going to be talking a lot more about our outdoor holiday decoration contest so start taking pictures. We have a bunch of prize to give away, check the forum for more info. http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry27752 (http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=8&t=6159&st=0&&#entry27752)

In this episode we will be talking about some new free downloads we have added to our lawn care business forum.
One is a flyer and the other is a lawn care business bid proposal template.
Next we will be talking about a new section we have added to the lawn care business forum called "Help me bid it." This is going to allow you to post specifics of a lawn care job you want to bid on and get feedback from other lawn care business owners as to what you should charge.
Then we talk about the concept of can you bid for too big of a job. Can such a job actually do more harm than good? Find out by watching the video.
Next we talk about how you can use a down turn in the real estate market to actually gain new customers. We added a new flyer on this marketing concept as well and you are welcome to download it from our lawn care business forum.
Lastly we discuss search engine optimization tips that will help you rank higher in searches. Why should you pay for internet advertising when we can tell you how to get in the top results of searches for lawn care businesses in your area!

* Our friend Teresa. She is the owner and operator of a lawn care business, a single mom and is going through a divorce. We get a chance to talk with her and come up with unique marketing ideas to help her push her business forwards and help her find continued success.
* We talk about some more marketing techniques for Halloween. One idea includes setting up a Halloween scene in your front yard involving a mower and using it as an example to talk about mower safety. We also see how you can get custom printed m&m's to promote your lawn care business.
* I put up a couple new free lawn care flyer templates you can download and edit to fit your needs. This one is designed for you to use in the fall when business is slow and you want to offer mower winterization services.
* We also announce the winners of our free lawn care business sign giveaway compliments of Tony from amw-graphics.com

- How you can make money in the fall with Halloween decorations.
- How to use myspace to market your lawn care business and your holiday decoration service.
- I put up a couple new free lawn care business door hanger templates you can download and edit to fit your needs.
- Advice on estimating leaf cleanups from our friend Keith of startalawncarebusiness.com
- We will announce the winner of our previous shows Door Hanger and Postcard giveaway thanks to plan-itgraphics.com
- We will also be letting you know of a new free giveaway of vinyl signs from Tony of amw-graphics.com

In this episode we are going to be talking about:
- Tiger Time Bikini Lawn Care gets new uniforms for their staff. Check this out!
- We see a new business start up success story. We see how an Army Veteran started his business called Landscape Warrior without even owning a lawn mower!
- We have free postcard and door hangers to give away.
- Also we have Free Fluid Film samples.
- We talk about how you can use an autodialer to market your business. This is a device that makes outgoing calls from a computer while you are out working. Then when you get back you can listen to the messages of people who want an estimate.
- We talk about the difference between an 'estimate' and a '21 point lawn care analysis.'

In this episode we are going to be talking about:
The behind the scenes of the Tiger Time Bikini Lawn Care craze.
Marketing secrets we have learned from our experience with Lee, of Tiger Time, that we can share with you.
Free Fluid Film samples to give away.
Free Tiger Time Lawn Care Franchises to give away.
We discuss L.L. Bean as our GopherHaul business book of the month.
Check out our new tshirts and bumper stickers as well.

In this episode we are going to be talking about:
Lee, the winner of our help a veteran marketing campaign
He also happens to run a bikini lawn care service
We are going to see new ways to distribute flyers from your vehicle
What's the biggest trend emerging in the lawn care industry?
Its going electric, we will learn more about that
A new lawn care business owner wrote us to figure out why he hasn't been able to get enough new customers
We'll find out why and these reasons will help your business too.

We are also going to meet an entrepreneur who manufactures electric powered mowers
plus much much more

GopherHaul is a show for lawn care operators and small business owners. In this episode we are going to be talking about:

- How to stop customer churn and improve your customer retention.
- How to pre-qualify new customers when they call to weed out the tire kickers from those who are seriously interested in having you service their property. This is an important step in order to increase the percentage of estimates you make to new clients you sign up.
- How to assist a member of the military and get some free goodies from us.
- How can you use high fuel prices as an advantage to gain new customers?
Check out the GopherHaul toy of the month to help you enjoy yourself more this is the Dixie Chopper monster truck.
- We are going to see a new invention that has come in from a lawn care operator and GopherHaul viewer.

GopherHaul is a show for lawn care operators and small business owners. In this episode we are going to be talking about:
How to improve your negotiation skills with customers to maximize your profit potential. We are going to learn some marketing tricks from Tiger Time Lawn Care's marketing makeover. We will see how a Lawn Care operator invented a new Tiller and patented it. Check out the GopherHaul toy of the month to help you enjoy yourself more. And talk about our new free lawn care business book - Be a Lawn Care Business Rebel.

GopherHaul is a show for lawn care operators and small business owners. In this episode we learn how to make a killer lawn care business flyer. We meet Santos who gets a GopherHaul lawn care business makeover. We check out a kit car one of our forum members is building. Also we learn how to download a free lawn care business book "Stop Lowballing." Which includes page after page of landscaping business and marketing tips.

GopherHaul is a show for lawn care operators and small business owners. In this episode we learn some neat marketing ideas for lawn care operators. Tips which include how to get referrals and how to take advantage of the current real estate market to make more money with lawn care. We get an inside look at Bikini Lawn Care. Also we see some stunts performed by the lawn care operator on his dirtbike and motorcycles.

GopherHaul is a show for lawn care operators and small business owners. In this episode we GopherHaul Blaine's lawn care business that was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. We will see some lawn mower modifications, lifted with 39 inch car crushing sized tires. Also we learn some lawn care marketing secrets from Chestin (http://www.lawncaremarketingmagic.com), the 7 secrets to using brochures. Plus we get an inside look at how you can install your own vinyl signs (http://www.amw-graphics.com) for your landscaping business.

<hr>

Gopherhaul Episode 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGpvVXrxH64)

Our holiday episode. In it we see some fun holiday toys for lawn care operators. We see a nitrous powered mower and a wheelie popping tractor. Also we learn some lawn care web marketing secrets from Chestin. Plus we GopherHaul a lawn care operator who lost his business during Hurricane Katrina. Watch what you can do with 1 part lawn mower and 1 part nitrous.

<hr>

Gopherhaul Episode 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWikva3I6k4)

In this episode we see before and after pictures of our Gopherhaul winner Chad from Chad's Lawn Service. We also learn the 6 deadly marketing mistakes a lawn care operator must try to avoid at all costs from Chestin of Lawn Care Marketing Magic. Plus an upcoming look at future episodes with Roy from Meg-Mo and David from Lawn Solutions. Don't miss this episode. I hope it inspires you to reach for your business dreams.

<hr>

Gopherhaul Episode 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC2AXtaNJu8)

In this episode we get an inside look at prowrap.net (http://www.prowrap.net). They make engine covers for green industry equipment. It's really interesting to see how their product is created and I hope it inspires you to reach for your business dreams.

<hr>

Gopherhaul Episode 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzuZhyMKUKo)

Learn how to improve your landscape business. In this episode we discuss marketing concepts and where to download our free door hanger, flyer, web templates and business contracts. We hope you can learn something from this show that will help you improve your landscaping or lawn care business.

<hr>

Gopherhaul Episode 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS0-moVNrTs)

Learn how to improve your landscape business. Watch us improve a lawn care business with new marketing material, truck and trailer signs and help create a website. We hope you can learn something from this show that will help you improve your landscaping or lawn care business as well.

<hr>

Steve

12-19-2006, 01:32 PM

If you want to add more video content to your website, here is a free stump grinding promotional video to help you sell that service.

GopherHaul is a show for lawn care operators and small business owners. In this episode we are going to be talking about:
How to improve your negotiation skills with customers to maximize your profit potential. We are going to learn some marketing tricks from Tiger Time Lawn Care's marketing makeover. We will see how a Lawn Care operator invented a new Tiller and patented it. Check out the GopherHaul toy of the month to help you enjoy yourself more. And talk about our new free lawn care business book - Be a Lawn Care Business Rebel.

<hr>
Dear Team Gopher,

I want to thank you for including me in one of you episodes. The Tiger Time Lawn Care and Property Management is really taking off. I have used several of the ideas and it is working. We are in the process of getting the paint job on the truck. As soon as it is complete I will send pictures. I am also going to get some of your signs for the truck and trailer.
I want to become a full member of this group. I really get great information from you and would also like to help others in time.
PS. After my contact with you intially. The name Tiger Time is getting great pub. I have offered free lawn service to military members with a one time free cut. The name is going for it.

Again thanks for your continued support.
Lee Cathey

Steve

05-06-2007, 02:26 PM

Hi Lee,

You are welcome!

I am very much looking forwards to seeing your pictures. I am sure we can all come up with more ideas. Keep experimenting and you will grow.

Also if you can promote the GopherHaul episode on other forums or sites, I would appreciate it !

Quote[/b] ]PS. After my contact with you intially. The name Tiger Time is getting great pub. I have offered free lawn service to military members with a one time free cut. The name is going for it.

Did you get any pictures of you working onthe vet's lawns? Have you sent out any press releases yet? Maybe we can help put one together.

TigerTime

05-07-2007, 06:06 AM

I have been unable to get any pictures yet but will have some this next week. I will be happy to post them.
I have put you on one of the websites that I am doing. Yes I am a webmaster as well as everything else.
Check it out and let me know what you think about the ad that I created. You guys are awsome and I am very encouraged by the little things that you are pointing out.

Here is the link http://www.ellendalebears.com/4_sell_and_services_offered.htm